Christians

For most Christians an important part of the Bible are the New Testament words of Jesus.

According to a Bible I  looked into recently, the most important words of Jesus are in what the publisher calls "The great Commandment."

The Apostle Mark calls it the "First Commandment,"  which is closely followed in important by the "Second Commandment." It appears to be Jesus Himself who says, "There are no other Commandments greater than these."

These two greatest of Commandments are about love. Love seems to be a big deal for Jesus. It seems that the Greeks who wrote out thees Commandments had about half a dozen ways to write 'love;' each with a different meaning  The Greeks  selected one of them to use for the Word Jesus used. The Greeks were a discriminating  people as Jesus was a discriminating being. What meaning do you believe is meant in the Bible?

It is important to many Christians to give the words of the New Testament careful attention.

Looking at the first of these Greatest of Commandments, I see that the word 'thy' is used. 'Thy' refers to that which is your very own, but i contains much more meaning that that. It also means that which is familiar and friendly. More, it refers to that in which you trust and confide.

An important part of that First Commandment says, as I remember, "Love thy god with thy whole heart soul, mind, strength." That use of 'thy' suggests to me that Jesus thought that you have your very own God who is a familiar fried to you, in whom you can trust and confide. It also suggest that Jesus believed that you have heart, soul, mind that you can trust and learn how to use.

Jesus, it seems to me, said that one of the most important of ones doings is to love that very own God of yours. I'm pretty sure that does not mean that you should hug and kiss him, and take him to bed. I think that it means to love him a bit in the way his mother, Mary, loved Him. The love that Jesus speaks of seems to me to be about nurturing an supporting, and a helping to mature and thrive. I can figure how I might do that for my enemy or my neighbor. I'm not sure how to love a god or the God.  One can want the best for God. One might cooperate with Good. One can make a effort to get to know Him and his laws, and to be good followers of those  laws. God might find such cooperation loving. One can try.

Jesus, I believe, commands us to love our enemies. I don't thing that Jesus wants us to support are enemies in their efforts  against or to strengthen their ability to defeat us. He dose not want our
enemies to be strong successful enemies. I think that what he more probably wants is for us to help them be more successful human beings who we can trust in familiarity and friendship. Jesus seems to have thought that the good and goodness are important parts of love. We have a lot to learn

The second of the top two Commandments is the one I have found most useful to me. That's the one that says, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self." To me it provides direction for good living. Here and now   I've just a few hints about its usefulness.

To me it suggests that it is very important for me to know myself. It suggests that I ought to be clear about how I love myself.  It tells me that the better I am able to love myself the more successfully I may love another. I calls me to learn the nature of self love.

It seems that there were those who were not sure who Jesus meant should be included among our neighbors.  To help them to understand Jesus tells them a story. He has them imagine, as I remember, that they are strangers in a strange land and that we see a person strange to us and to the land. He has us see that the strange is in trouble. He lets us know that we ought help this strange overcome his trouble. He lets us know that such a 'stranger' is to be included among the neighbors we love as we love ourselves.

To me, it seems that Jesus directs those sense to widen and deepen their  understanding of: love, self, neighbor, enemy, God, heart, mind, trust, ....

She Spoke to Me or It's Mostly About Me, Myself, and I

I might even say "she spoke with me." We had a bit of a conversation. She didn't speak to me in Chitano, Spanish, or Mixe. The Chitano speaking people seem to know here best, but she is known widely among the people of Mexico. Her name has been heard in the Vatican.


She spoke to me in excellent English. It did seem a bit 'snipish' at first. I head her voice in my mind rather than through my ears. Our talk took place in my mind, seemed quit real. So real that she seemed to speak in the voice of a bit too haughty teenager.


Chitano is a Zapotecan or oto-manguean language.


The Chitano spoken in Juquila, it seems, is so special that it is often considered a language of its own. Juquila is a center for this special Chitano people. Chitano are few, but they can organize and they can fight. They care for the 'Virgin' and they have fought for her. Chitano are members of UCIRI, a large agricultural cooperative of indigenous people.


In English, she may be called the Virgin of Juquila. I did not call her that, nor did she call me Richard or Mr. Sheehan.


I think that I first heard of her in Oaxaca, Oaxaca. I felt her 'call' to me from that city. Later she told me that she made no such call and that it was unthinkable that she would do so.


From Oaxaca, I took the old road to the coast. I don't remember the village of Juquila, but am pretty sure I spent at least a night there. I do remember the great sanctuary built near Juquila. It was large and so made as to receive large numbers of Pilgrims. I remember offerings piled so large with offerings as to form a mountain made holy by faith. There was a large arch through which I could see the 'celito lindo' and across the valley. I did not feel La de Juquila there so continued on my way to her.


I walked up last the sanctuary and soon came to a humble chapel painted a notable gold-yellow. While I was still a ways from it, a tall dark man, wearing a shirt of color similar to that of the chapel, came out of the back door an pointed to a quebrada. I don't know how he detected my coming. He disappeared back into the chapel. I did not follow him him, but continued on to the quebrada which is where I had been headed.


I expected to find a waterfall and I did. the first appearance of the virgin had been near a small falls.


As I got to the edge of the arroyo, I found rustic stairs leading to a kind of viewing platform of cement and with a wrought-iron balustrade.The vie was not spectacular. Close below was a clear stream with a somewhat muddied bank. I was disappointed to see that there seemed to be some trash lying close to the stream. To my right was a little waterfall coming from a height I could not see. I was in the place I was looking for.


I walked down to the little stream. There I found what I had thought was trash was made up of a few tiny paper offerings. There were also many other little offerings there. They were mostly modeled of clay found near the stream Looking at them closely, I saw that they seem made to represent what their makers wanted. The largest number of them seemed to be modest little houses.


I walked up to the falls and saw no easy path to climb beyond them. I found more offerings in near-by niches. Had I the energy I had felt in earlier years I would have searched out the source of the water.


I walked back up to the little viewing platform and leaned upon its railing. There the talk began.

Viva Colombia!

Boycott non-medical Colombian drugs.

Our greed for "recreational" drugs  is damaging the people of other countries.

What can we do to better support the people, the people of other countries and of our own?

The Government We Deserve. The Government We Have Earned

A government is moving away from being one of, by, and for the people
and toward being one to the people, or in spite of the majority of the people.
Is it not, then, the people who are responsible?

"Poor People"

I know a woman calls some people poor; she does not like them.

Others call those people she does not like 'unfortunate,' 'oppressed,' 'f---ers,'neighbor,' 'daughter,' 'citizen.' Do you have a name for them? How would describe a 'poor' person? Are the same people always poor? When are they poor?

Why might the woman I know not like the 'poor' in her life?

Learning!

Education is the efficient, effective defence of a people.

Let's make it safe, satisfying, ongoing, and a bit of fun.

It's a vital matter of national security and cheaper than bombs.

It empowers child, youth, woman, and man.

Government

Government is made by people.

Who makes government for you?

Each Thrives According to its Kind:

democracy demands wisdom,

republicanism requires responsibility,

oligarchy loves willful ignorance.

The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number

Vice President Biden seems to a smart, open, honest man who puts people first.

How Many of Us

How many of us does it take to make a nation of the people, by the people, and for the people?
What is a government of the people?
What is governance by the people?
What is a politics for the people?

Like-Minded Men

The like-mindedness of like-minded men is a great part of that which enables them to cooperate powerfully. How do men come to be like-minded? Let us count the ways.

Pension Funds

The people of the great republic of Argentina now control their pension fund. The Pension fund was nationalized last month. What other republics now control their pension funds?

The People

War is hell.
When we wage war we raise hell.

Economy of Brazil

If you are interested in how the people of Brazil have been dealing with recent national economic problems you might do well to begin by learning a bit about Jose Sarney.

Google Earth

This trip seems to be winding down for me. I´m beginning to think of home a bit more this days.

Still I get interesting mail from Chaing Mai and have thought of visits Norway, Scottland, Irland, Poland, Germany.

But I am also recognizing that it is getting difficult for me to travel alone.

Rex, reminds me that Goolgle Earth not only provides maps, of the places to which we travel, intend to travel or are curious about, but also a lot of great photos and other information.

Titikaka is really two very great lakes of deep, Tahoe clear, lakes. Traveling around the lake causes one to immagine that one is traveling around a very interesting ocean shoreline. Made even more interesting by the great, snow covered Andean peaks in the not so distant background.